Table 1. Characteristics of participants at baseline.
| Aerobic exercise (n = 56) | Stretching exercise (n = 59) | |
| Age, years | 39.7 (11.3) | 43.4 (11.2) |
| Female, n (%) | 40 (71.4) | 37 (62.7) |
| Depression | ||
| HAM-D17 | 19.2 (4.7) | 18.6 (4.0) |
| Total HAM-D17>17 | 36 (64.3%) | 38 (64.4%) |
| HAM-D6 | 10.6 (2.4) | 10.2 (2.2) |
| HAM-A14 | 18.1 (5.2) | 17.1 (5.7) |
| BDI | 35.7 (7.0) | 35.5 (8.4) |
| WHO-5 | 17.8 (8.4) | 22.5 (11.7) |
| Depression, single, n (%) | 26 (46.4%) | 30 (50.8%) |
| Depression, recurrent, n (%) | 30 (53.6%) | 29 (49.2%) |
| Time since diagnosis, months (IQR) | 6.0 (2.6 to 18.0) | 6.0 (3.0 to 24.0) |
| Suicide attempt. <12 months, n (%) | 5 (8.9%) | 2 (3.4%) |
| Generalised anxiety, n (%) | 33 (58.9%) | 34 (55.9%) |
| Cognitive function | ||
| Danish Adult Reading Test | 32.9 (11.2) | 34.7 (7.5) |
| Buschke’s SRT | 16.2 (11.5) | 17.7 (5.9) |
| RCFT –3 min. recall | 20.9 (6.3) | 20.9 (6.7) |
| Digit span, forwards | 6.5 (2.1) | 6.3 (2.2) |
| Digit span, backwards | 5.4 (2.0) | 5.0 (1.9) |
| Subtracting Seriel Sevens | 7.6 (2.9) | 8.2 (2.5) |
| Stoop’s test, congruent | 60.5 (14.3) | 67.4 (56.0) |
| Stroop’s test, incongruent | 123.8 (29.0) | 130.5 (43.6) |
| Trail making A | 32.3 (11.0) | 35.5 (17.1) |
| Trail making B | 73.5 (23.0) | 83.6 (36.1) |
| Digit symbol test | 46.2 (10.1) | 45.6 (9.9) |
| Verbal fluency - animals | 22.0 (6.1) | 19.7 (5.9) |
| Verbal fluency – s words | 12.0 (4.3) | 12.1 (5.4) |
| Somatic | ||
| Weight, kg | 76.3 (21.5) | 77.4 (17.7) |
| Body mass index | 26.2 (6.2) | 26.5 (5.7) |
| Waist circumference, cm | 88.5 (17.9) | 90.2 (15.1) |
| VO2 max ml/kg/min | 25.9 (6.9) | 26.0 (11.7) |
| Cholesterol, mmol/l | 5.2 (1.1) | 5.2 (1.2) |
| Triglycerides, mmol/l | 1.3 (0.8) | 1.4 (0.7) |
| HDL, mmol/l | 1.5 (0.3) | 1.4 (0.4) |
| Glucose, mmol/l | 5.1 (0.6) | 5.1 (0.8) |
| Insulin, pmol/l | 66.7 (51.0) | 69.8 (55.5) |
| QUICKI | 0.68 (0.27) | 0.94 (2.04) |
| hsCRP, mg/l | 2.4 (3.03) | 2.6 (4.3) |
| Systolic BP, mmHg | 121.6 (15.6) | 123.0 (18.4) |
| Diastolic BP, mmHg | 81.3 (10.5) | 82.4 (12.8) |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 11 (19.6%) | 12 (20.3%) |
| Work | ||
| Unemployed, n (%) | 20 (35.7%) | 27 (45.7%) |
| Sickness leave, n (%) | 20 (35.7%) | 18 (30.5%) |
| Job attendance, last 10 days, % | 74.3 (39) | 73.8 (34) |
Data are presented with mean (SD) unless stated otherwise.
Abbreviations: HAM-D17/HAM-D6 – Hamilton depression scale with 17 or 6 Items; BDI – Beck’s Depression Inventory II; WHO-5 – World Health Organisation’s well being index; IQR – interquartile range; Buschke’s SRT – Buschke’s Selective Reminding Test; RCFT – Rey’s Complex Figure Test; VO2 max – maximal oxygen uptake; QUICKI – Quantitative insulin sensitivity index; hsCRP – high sensitive C reactive Protein.